Joy & Responsibility

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Something has been sitting heavy with me for a while. A few years ago, I realized that there were some things in my life that I couldn’t work out on my own and I needed to find a counselor. One of her observations during that time was how much responsibility I seem to carry for my relationships and how they work out. I measure and re-measure my words… a text can take forever to compose… an email even longer… I leave a setting and think about the things I said, often fretting over my tone, or how I said something… I examine interactions from so many directions, wondering if I did or said something that could be taken the wrong way. It can be exhausting. Some might think I’m a people pleaser, and maybe that’s part of it, but parts of my growing up years taught me that I was somehow responsible for the behavior of others, so I think it goes even deeper than people pleasing.

I’m currently working through a devotion, Write the Word, and the theme is Joy. This morning the verse was Acts 13:52 “And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”

Context always matters, so I went back to see what was happening here… Paul and Barnabas had been sharing the Gospel and it was hitting home, people’s lives were being changed. But some people didn’t like it and they ran Paul and Barnabas out of town. After they were kicked out, Verse 51 says they shook the dust from their feet. It symbolized releasing responsibility, moving on from rejection.

Those tense, frustrating circumstances that I feel certain would have made me mad didn’t steal their joy. I love a phrase in the Greek dictionary for joy: calm delight! Calm… their emotions didn’t get all wrapped up in what was happening. Ugh… I need to learn that lesson. So what was the key?

Well first, I believe the Holy Spirit is crucial, but there’s something else in verse 51 that really got me thinking… they shook the dust from their feet. They didn’t take responsibility for what WASN'T theirs to be responsible for. They measured their success by their obedience, not by the results, or the fruit, of their obedience. 

So often I allow my joy to be impacted by results that I can see, not by the faithfulness of my obedience. Or I resist saying or doing something because “it won’t make a difference anyway.” But ultimately, I am not responsible for outcomes, only my daily steps. When I think about that, my spirit breathes so much more deeply, the clenching and grasping of the need to control lets go.

Do I need to pay attention to my words? ABSOLUTELY! But that is what I’m responsible for… that my words are loving, kind, full of grace and compassion. That, as Proverbs 18:21 warns, they bring life, healing and encouragement, rather than hurt and destruction. And if I need to say something hard, I need to first do a heart check and be sure I’m saying it from a place of love, not making the other person wrong, gossiping, judging, condemning or being self-righteous. If that is true, then I can walk away, in calm delight, that I have rightly reflected my heavenly Father and lived out an invitation that might cause someone to want to come and see THE One who loves them beyond their wildest imagination.

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A Note About The Photo

There's a line in a song, So Will I, by Hillsong that captured my imagination, "I can see Your heart in everything You've made." It made me think of all of the beauty I've photographed over the years, that reflects the heart of our Creator.

Since the point of my posts are tied to the idea of come and see, I decided that I would include photos of things in creation that whisper, "Come and see the Creator who made me." I hope you'll take a minute and enjoy the wondrous, creative details in this little beauty that calls us to see the beautiful heart of our Creator.

With Joy in Him,

Sharla